Mason&#39;s tool



March 19, 1957 E. ANDERSEN MASONS TOOL Filed Aug. 11, 1954 M F N E5 v VSm M 0 A m v.

MASONS TOOL Eron Andersen, Williamsville, N. Y.

Application August 11, 1954, Serial No. 44%,1M

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-86) My device relates in general to means for aligningbricks, blocks or tiles, when laying the same and in particular to meansfor holding a masons line across the course to be laid.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that when a bricklayer islaying bricks, it is necessary that some guiding means be provided toenable him to lay the bricks in a straight horizontal line. Such meansusually consist of nails driven between two previously laid bricksacross which a line is stretched. Not only does the insertion of thesenails, which are afterwards removed, leave nail holes which must belater closed, but an extra brick or block must be laid at the end of andabove the course being laid in order to have some mortar into which todrive such nails, and obviously the mortar must be set sutficiently tohold the nails from moving before the line can be tautly fastenedthereto.

The principal object of my invention has been to obviate thedisadvantages of the customary methods of fastening a bricklayers lineand to provide a line holder or tool which may be quickly engaged withthe first brick or block initially placed at each end of the course tobe laid for holding the line.

Another object has been to provide an elastic line, which not only holdsthe line tool in position, but which will avoid any slack in the lineand hold it in taut position.

Another object is to provide a tool formed with means for convenientlyattaching the elastic line in any desired position.

Moreover, it has been an object to provide a holder which engages threesides of the brick and therefore can be conveniently maintained inalignment with the cornets of the brick without any fastening means.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the deviceshown in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. l is an isometrical perspective of my device;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a reduced perspective view showing the device in use;

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device in use when laying a brickwindow sill.

In the specification and in the accompanying drawings, I show the deviceas being used in the laying of courses of bricks; and in Fig. 3, I showthe device engaged with the corners of the end bricks of an illustrativeuse, such as a chimney, while in Fig. 5 I show it in use upon a windowsill, the course of bricks in each figure being shown as completed.

The device comprises :a body made of sheet metal or the like having atop wall 11 and front wall 12 bent at right angles to each other forengagement with the tops and fronts of the bricks or blocks and 17,respectively, of the wall shown in Fig. 3. This enables the bricklayerto register the devices with the end bricks of the course which is to belaid. The top wall 11 of each fixture is 2,785,467 1C6 Patented Mar. 19, 1.957

formed with a downwardly extending flange 13, and the front wall 12 isformed with an inwardly extending flange 14. Each of the flanges 13 and14 are bent at substantially right angles to the attached parts andengage the end faces of the brick or block, thereby acting as abutmentsto prevent movement of the device in one direction along the brick orblock when it is engaged therewith. While I have shown in Fig. 3 thedevices as being right hand and left hand, it is obvious that duplicatesmay be used.

The top and front Walls of each of the tools are so positioned that asharp corner 16 is formed therebetween and two spaced holes 20 and 21are formed in the corner through which an elastic line 22 is passed. Theline is passed first through the hole 21 from the inside of the cornerand then is passed from this hole to hole 20 on the outside of thecorner, extending inwardly to the inside thereof through hole 20 whenceit is extended to the opposite tool. The free end of the elasticlineextending through hole 21 is preferably passed between the overlappingtop and front flanges 13 and 14, respectively, and is clampedtherebetween by the resiliency of these two members. It will be obviousthat by passing the line from the inside of the corner of one tool tothe inside of the corner of the other tool, it will be positioned at thecorners of the end bricks and will serve as a guide for aligningallother bricks of the course. It will also be obvious that, since the lineis elastic, the length between tools may be so proportioned that it willbe placed under proper tension when in use thus keeping it taut andfirmly drawing and holding the tools in engagement with the end brickswhile the course is being finished.

It will be obvious, that while I have shown my invention as applied tothe laying of bricks, it can be used with equal facility when layingblocks, tile, or the like.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious: that when the cord is onceattached to the tools, the assembled device becomes a unit and it may beremoved from the finished course of bricks and simply snapped in placeupon the end bricks of a new course without having to detach or adjustthe cord.

1 claim:

1. A masons tool comprising a top wall, a front wall extendingdownwardly from said top wall, said walls being positioned substantiallyat right angles to each other and having a sharp corner therebetween, afront flange extending inwardly from and adjacent to one edge of saidfront wall, a top flange extending downwardly along one edge of said topWall in resilient overlapping relation with said front flange, said toolbeing formed with two spaced openings disposed in said corner, anelastic line disposed on the inside of the corner at the end oppositethe front and top flanges and passed outwardly through the openings atthat end, that portion of said line between the openings being disposedon the outside of said corner, the outer end of said line being passedinwardly through the opening adjacent said flanges and extended on theinside of said corners from the last mentioned opening to and betweenthe overlapping front and top flanges, means for fixing the opposite endof said line, whereby a guide is provided for the laying of bricksnecessary to complete a predetermined course.

2. The combination with two spaced end bricks of a proposed course, oftwo duplicate tools arranged oppositely to each other and engageable onewith each of said end bricks, each tool comprising a top wall, a frontwall extending downwardly from said top wall, said walls beingpositioned substantially at right angles to each other and having asharp corner therebetween registerable with the aligned longitudinaledges of said end bricks, a front flange extending inwardly from andadjacent to one edge of said front wall, a top flange extendingdownwarclly along one edge of said top wall in resilient overlappingrelation with said front flange, each of said tools being provided withtwo spaced openings formed in said corner, an elastic line stretchedbetween said tools and having each of its end portions disposed on theinside of the corner of one of said tools at the end opposite the frontand top flanges and passed outwardly through the opening at that end,those portions of said line between the openings being disposed on theoutside of said corners, the outer ends of said line being passedinwardly through the openings adjacent said flanges and extended on theinside of said corners from the last mentioned opening to and betweenthe overlapping front and top flanges, whereby when said tools areengaged with said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,784,679 Paterson Dec. 9, 1930 2,505,606 Coffey Apr. 25,1950 2,623,290 Kampel Dec. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 54,183 Denmark Jan.17, 1938

